Saturday 23 October 2021 - Further Faster Southdown

 It was a lovely morning for a Further Faster ride led by Teresa.

Six of us set out from Morrisons. Most of us had not been on a formal ride since lockdown, so it was lovely to catch up with everyone.

We went via Sandridgebury Lane to Sandridge, then up Coleman Green Lane. Here we were harangued by a woman in Heartwood Forest about the rubbish that had been dumped in the layby. We took some photos and will forward them to the Council. We managed to curtail the ranting and moved on.

Going left at Drovers Road then across Nomansland we were surprised at how little traffic there was, although it was half-term.  We then went down Pipers Lane, along Grove Road and to the café in Southdown.

Afterwards we cycled back along Grove Road, then up Cross Lane past the stables. We came out on East Common, headed along and then right onto Ayres End Lane. Crossing Harpenden Road we cycled back to St Albans on the cycle path, which was muddy and overgrown in parts. We split at New Greens Ave with some going to the centre of St Albans and some to Marshalswick. The rider who returned to Park Street did the furthest ride! Most of us did about 12-15 miles on a cool, dry day with no wind. 

We forgot to take photos of the group, so here is a picture of the rubbish instead!

Reporting fly tipping: Sadly, we see so much rubbish dumped on our local lanes.  It helps if you report it, and it helps if you take a picture for the report.

Here is the link to St Albans District Council with contacts for reporting fly tipping:

Fly Tipping | St Albans City and District Council  

If further afield, this is the Hertfordshire County Council reporting page:

Report littering or fly tipping | Hertfordshire County Council

If you are not sure who to report to, the ClearWaste website or app will sort it for you:

ClearWaste.com - The Free app for licensed waste removal & Fly‑tip reporting

If you see a fly-tip in progress be vary careful, these can be dangerous people.  Keep yourself safe and dial 999.

Saturday 2 October 2021 - Sandridgebury

For various reasons this ride was scheduled at short notice.  Four riders mustered, with Teresa leading and Rona back-marking.  It is a while since we have ridden north, and we knew that there was a canopy at John The Butcher at The Bothy in Sandridgebury, which was an attractive asset given the weather forecast.

We headed for Jersey Lane, we rode very gently and had very cheerful interactions with the many walkers and their dogs along the way.  We boldly embarked on a loop along Coleman Green Lane, Drovers Lane and back across the edge of Nomansland and Heartwood on the newly installed path.  Rather than tussle with the traffic on the High Street, we rode up to the Heartwood Car Park, hopped over the horse hop and onto the bridleway up to the Scout Hut.  This turned out to be an easier climb than we expected, but we were nonetheless ready for a cuppa.  

We timed our arrival just as a group were moving on, so we got seats under cover.  This was also good timing as the rain got heavier.

Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and a very delicious bacon roll duly arrived.  It was very pleasant to relax and watch the horses going to and fro. We couldn't chat for too long though, more rain on its way, so off we went, one of our baskets heavier by a marrow, very nice veg for sale.

At the back of STAGS we split, two heading off towards Batchwood, the other two ostensibly returning to Morrisons. But they did a little diversion to Botox Bikes, resulting in a bike booked in for a service and one rider completing the course on shank's pony!

Since everyone finished their ride in a different spot the distance ridden can only be indicative, but it was around ten miles, which is pretty good going for a gentle ride.